What percentage of people rent in Kearney, NE?

Name: Renters and owners in Kearney, NE, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

39.4% (±2.4 points) of the occupied homes in Kearney, NE are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 5,523 renting households against 8,505 that own their home.

In Kearney, the share of households that rent went from 40.9% in 2015–2019 to 39.4% in 2020–2024 (−1.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 39.4% (±2.4 points)
Renting households: 5,523 (±353)
Median renter income: $43,695 (±$3,481)

Who rents and who owns in Kearney

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Kearney	Buffalo County	Nebraska	United States
Renter-occupied share	39.4% (±2.4 points)	33.6% (±1.9 points)	33.5% (±0.4 points)	34.8%
Renting households	5,523 (±353)	6,715 (±380)	266,969 (±3,420)	45,017,354
Owning households	8,505 (±367)	13,269 (±427)	530,878 (±4,181)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.1)	2.6 (±0.1)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$43,695 (±$3,481)	$44,833 (±$3,253)	$47,168 (±$620)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$95,285 (±$5,459)	$95,820 (±$4,577)	$97,496 (±$809)	$100,009

In Kearney, the renter share is higher than in Buffalo County (33.6%).

It is also higher than in Nebraska (33.5%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Buffalo County, Kearney ranks 1 of 9 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 73 of 846.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Kearney has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	40.9% (±2.5 points)	39.4% (±2.4 points)	−1.5 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$767 (±$21)	$949 (±$31)	+23.7%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$57,064 (±$3,792)	$69,724 (±$4,868)	+22.2%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Kearney

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Kearney
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Kearney	—	39.4% (±2.4 points)	—
Riverdale	7.0 mi	4.4% (±5.4 points)	Lower
Gibbon	13 mi	27.1% (±6.8 points)	Lower
Amherst	14 mi	23.4% (±15.8 points)	Lower
Minden	15 mi	24.6% (±6.5 points)	Lower
Elm Creek	15 mi	28.6% (±10.5 points)	Lower
Axtell	16 mi	9.2% (±5.6 points)	Lower
Heartwell	18 mi	45.2% (±30.5 points)	Not measurably different
Pleasanton	19 mi	19.5% (±10.5 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Riverdale, NE (4.4%), Gibbon, NE (27.1%), Amherst, NE (23.4%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Buffalo County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Kearney	39.4% (±2.4 points)
2	Ravenna	34.4% (±10.8 points)
3	Elm Creek	28.6% (±10.5 points)
4	Gibbon	27.1% (±6.8 points)
5	Amherst	23.4% (±15.8 points)
6	Shelton	21.1% (±7.4 points)
7	Pleasanton	19.5% (±10.5 points)

Showing 7 of 9 places in Buffalo County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Kearney

How many renters are there in Kearney?

Kearney has an estimated 5,523 (±353) renting households, 39.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Kearney?

In Kearney, the share of households that rent went from 40.9% in 2015–2019 to 39.4% in 2020–2024 (−1.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Kearney?

A renting household in Kearney has 2.0 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Kearney?

The median renting household in Kearney, NE has an income of $43,695 (±$3,481) a year, against $95,285 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Kearney city, Nebraska (place:25055, in state:31).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.